Flap wheel

ABSTRACT

A flap wheel in which the density of the work material at the radial outer extremity is increased by the addition of extra shorter flaps.

United States Patent l 13,585,765

[72] Inventor Howard J. Mc Aleer [56] References Cited I N UNITED STATES PATENTS Q5;- i 969 2,441,536 5/1948 Simon 15/23o.16 [45] Patented 2,913,857 11/1959 Reed etal 51/334 3,099,113 7/1963 Jeske, 51/334 [73] m Ming 3,165,867 1/1965 Murray 51/334 FOREIGN PATENTS 836 1/1902 Great Britain l5/230.14

[5.4] FLAP WHEEL Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simson 7 u 7 Dn'ing i Attorney-Harness, Dickey &. Pierce [52] US. [51] Int. Cl ABSTRACT: A flap wheel in which the density of the work [50] Field of Search material at the radial outer extremity is increased by the addi- 337: 15/2301 1-.18 tion ofextra shonerflaps.

Ma /7 M4 I FLAP wnaar.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to work wheels and more particularly to a flap wheel having increased density at its radially outer end.

In prior flaps, a plurality of fingers were secured at their radially inner ends to a hub; a wheel of maximum density was obtained by utilizing a number of fingers which completely filled the hub. While maximum density was at the hub, the density decreased in a radial outward direction such that at the outer periphery of the wheel the density was substantially reduced. In the present invention shorter fingers are secured to the conventional fingers at a point intermediate the hub and the peripheral outer end whereby the density of the wheel radially outwardly from that point is substantially increased. The performance of such a wheel is substantially superior to conventional wheels. The life of the wheel is greatly increased and the cutting action improved. Therefore, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved flap wheel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a flap wheel having a high density of working material from its radially inner to its radially outer end; it is another object of the present invention to provide a flap wheel of the latter type in which the radially outer end has additional shorter fingers secured thereto.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a flap wheel embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the wheel of FIG. 1 taken generally along the lines 2-2;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views of FIG. 2 taken generally along the lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of FIG. 5 taken generally along the lines 6-6; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 5 taken generally along the lines 7-7.

Looking now to FIGS. l-4, a flap wheel 10 has a hub assembly l2 and a plurality of finger assemblies 14 secured thereto at their radially inner ends.

A finger assembly 14 includes a long finger 16 which is notched at its radially inner end 18 to matably fit within grooves in the radially outer end 20 of the hub assembly 12 whereby the finger assembly 14 will be held to hub assembly 12. Each finger assembly 14 includes a short finger 22 which is secured at its radially inner end 24 to the long finger 16. The finger I6 (and finger 22) can be made of sisal 24 wrapped in cloth 26 with the short finger 22 being stitched at inner end to finger 16. Thus, with the construction shown, the density at the radiallyouter end of the wheel 10 is increased over conventional wheels which utilizes only the long fingers (such as 16). With an increase in density at the radially outer end, the wheel 10 is more effective in its cutting action and has a longer life.

In some applications it has been found desirable to provide a work wheel which has a combination of abrading and buffing flaps; such a wheel, utilizing the features of the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 5-7 in which components similar to like components in the embodiment of FIGS. l4 have been given the same numeral designation with the addition of the letter postscript a. In FIGS. 5-7, the flap wheel 10a has a plurality of finger assemblies 14a which are secured at their radially inner ends to hub assembly 12a. Each finger assembly 14a includes a long buffing finger 16a (identical to finger 16 of FIGS. l4) which has a plurality of long abrading fingers 17 secured thereto as by staples at 19; fingers 17 are also individually secured to hub assembl 12a. In order to increase the density at the radially outer en of wheel 10a a plurality of short abrading fingers 21 and a plurality of short buffing fingers 22a (identical to short fingers 22) are secured to long fingers 160 by stitching 23 and staples 25 at points removed from the hub assembly 12a. The result is a fiap wheel having a dense compact structure at its radially outer end which provides for improved performance. The abrading fingers l7 and 21 can be abrasive coated paper on cloth. Note that the smooth (nonabrasive) surface on one of the abrading fingers is provided to engage each buffing finger adjacent a group of abrading fingers to prevent premature wear.

Note that with both constructions shown, the fingers at the hubs (I2 and are compactly assembled with-adjacent fingers engaging each other so that a wheel of maximum density can be constructed.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the invention.

What I claim is:

I. A flap wheel comprising a hub, a plurality of finger assemblies secured to said hub and extending radially outwardly therefrom, said finger assemblies comprising at least one long finger member and at least one shorter finger member secured to said long finger member at a point radially spaced from said hub and extending substantially over its length coextensively with the associated one of said long finger members, each said long finger member having its radially inner end secured to said hub, said plurality of finger assemblies having a number of said long finger members to define a compact, dense structure circumferentially at the point of securement to said hub whereby with the addition of said shorter finger members to said long finger members a dense flap wheel structure as provided from its radially inner to its radially outer end.

2. The hub of claim I with said shorter finger member being stitched to said long finger member.

3. The hub of claim 1 with at least one of said finger members being a bufiing member.

4. The hub of claim 1 with at least one of said finger members being an abrading member.

7. The hub of claim 6 with said shorter finger member being stitched to said long finger member and with said abradin members being stapled to said buffing members.- 

1. A flap wheel comprising a hub, a plurality of finger assemblies secured to said hub and extending radially outwardly therefrom, said finger assemblies comprising at least one long finger member and at least one shorter finger member secured to said long finger member at a point radially spaced from said hub and extending substantially over its length coextensively with the associated one of said long finger members, each said long finger member having its radially inner end secured to said hub, said plurality of finger assemblies having a number of said long finger members to define a compact, dense structure circumferentially at the point of securement to said hub whereby with the addition of said shorter finger members to said long finger members a dense flap wheel structure as provided from its radially inner to its radially outer end.
 2. The hub of claim 1 with said shorter finger member being stitched to said long finger member.
 3. The hub of claim 1 with at least one of said finger members being a buffing member.
 4. The hub of claim 1 with at least one of said finger members being an abrading member.
 5. The hub of claim 4 with at least one of said finger members being a buffing member.
 6. The hub of claim 1 with said finger assemblies comprising a plurality of buffing members and a plurality of abrading members.
 7. The hub of claim 6 with said shorter finger member being stitched to said long finger member and with said abrading members being stapled to said buffing members. 